Tag Archives: SIFF Cinema Uptown

Arts & Entertainment, Film & TV

Walk the Camino Again Tonight

Portland director Lydia B. Smith’s documentary Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago more than made its mark in Seattle earlier this year. The movie’s theatrical run at SIFF Cinema Uptown last winter extended to a whopping 11 weeks, and the last several months have seen the film rack up a tassel of film festival awards and surprising financial success (it’s become one of 2014’s top-grossing documentaries).

All of that makes the movie’s encore screening/DVD release party at the Uptown tonight seem as much like a homecoming as anything. Local fans of the film will be able to savor the movie’s stunning Spanish scenery and genial good vibes on a big screen one more time, and take the movie home on DVD or Blu-Ray to boot.

Walking the Camino focuses on six travelers taking a 500-mile pilgrimage across Spain to Santiago de Compostela, a city that reputedly houses the remains of the apostle St. James. The journey’s been a source of spiritual enlightenment, discovery, and even punishment for centuries (criminals back in the day were often able to walk off their sentences by making the long trek by foot).

The tapestry of land stretched before travelers provides ample visual evidence as to the journey’s allure. Fields of verdant grass often stretch for as far as the eye can see, only occasionally cut by streams and not-always-paved roads. Tall grasses and fulsome vineyards surface and recede. And most of the cathedrals and rustic villages scattered along the way look blissfully untouched by time. Smith and her crew have definitely crafted a labor of love here: The director took the trek herself a year before returning with a film crew to capture the journey of other Camino pilgrims, and the entirety of Walking the Camino unapologetically saunters through the Spanish countryside.

 

The movie’s subjects cut a wide demographic swath, and their inclusion elevates Walking the Camino above simple travelogue status. Canadian septuagenarian Wayne walks as a tribute to his late wife; Tomas, a young Portugese businessman with a matinee-idol smile, takes the journey on a whim, only narrowly choosing it over a summer of kite-surfing; French single mom Tatiana drags her 3-year-old son Cyrian and her funny kid brother Alexis along for her pilgrimage; and Sam, a charismatic young woman from Brazil by way of the UK, hikes the 800-kilometer route in an attempt to sort out the self-confessed messiness of her life.

Walking the Camino sometimes leans a bit too heavily on comfort-food new-ageism, and Smith doesn’t spend quite as much time with each individual as you’d like (likely a concession to length and attention-span compromises). But you’d have to be a shin-kicking Grinch to not be powerfully moved by moments like Wayne pulling back tears as he reminisces about his wife’s passing. And just when things begin to get pedantic, Smith and her crew capture some moment that’ll take your breath away. It’s hard to split hairs when you’re gazing at an impossibly scenic Spanish valley swaddled fetchingly in morning mist.

[Tickets and more information on tonight’s 7:00 p.m. screening and DVD launch of Walking the Camino can be found here.]

Film & TV

Dan Reed brings Terror at the Mall to SIFF on Wednesday (Free screening)

It’s the third volume in the so-called Terror Trilogy, and acclaimed filmmaker Dan Reed is bringing his newest film, Terror at the Mall, to SIFF for a free screening Wednesday night. {RSVP here for free tickets.}

I spent my weekend immersed in Reed’s three Terror films (when I wasn’t watching football) and they make for three of the most compelling documentaries I have ever seen. Terror in Moscow (2003) is about the 2002 siege on a Russian theater, held hostage by Chechen rebels. Terror in Mumbai (2009) tells the story of the November 2008 attacks throughout Mumbai, India. Terror at the Mall (which will appear on HBO next Monday) is about a 2013 attack on a Nairobi, Kenya shopping mall. Taken together, they recreate three different terrorist attacks through the testimony of those who lived through it. Dan Reed only uses primary sources, video recordings, audio recordings, and interviews, to recreate what happened. There is little projection, and thankfully no talking heads trying to put the attacks in some kind of War on Terror™ context. Terror at the Mall and Terror in Mumbai make use of audio recordings from terrorist communications to show some hesitance and naivety from the people who have way too much power over someone’s life. More powerfully, it shows the randomness of getting caught up in an ideological mess that no one chose or signed up for, but are often powerless to escape.

You can get caught up here:

http://vimeo.com/45234763

Arts & Entertainment, Film & TV

SIFF 2013 Pro-Tips, or Let’s Get Ready to Festival

Here we are again, on the verge of the annual marathon known as the Seattle International Film Festival. (Keep track of The SunBreak’s ongoing festival coverage on our SIFF 2013 page.) SIFF 2013 officially kicks off this Thursday night with near-instantly sold-out Much Ado About Nathan Nothing, and by the time all all is said and done with The Bling Ring on closing night, the 39th annual SIFF will have run a full 25 days, and that’s not even counting the three weeks of media/uber-passholder screenings in advance of the fest. So get ready and don’t show up to the festival looking like a n00b. SIFF like a pro, courtesy of our time- and fest-tested tips:

PLANNING

  • Plan ahead. Get to know the new SIFF website well (pay close attention, as options have changed with the facelift). Check ahead to see if guests will be at the screening for a Q&A, for timing and scheduling purposes, if not for celeb-watching, and monitor the various SIFF feeds regularly for updates, so you’ll have the heads up before a screening sells out.
  • In case you haven’t heard from the internets, tickets to this Thursday’s opening night film, the beloved Buffy creator’s take on Much Ado About Nothing are long gone, as are those for the “mystery” Whedon-related screening the day after, which overwhelmed the redesigned SIFF site upon last Saturday morning’s on-sale. Twitter was full of tales of an hourlong wait before verification of purchase and charges going through…and that was the happy news from those lucky enough to garner tickets. (If a film org cannot handle the onslaught of the Whedonverse AFTER FIRST ACTIVELY COURTING the Whedonverse, do they deserve them in the first place? I digress.)
  • The festival is stuffed with panels, parties, and events; given the speed at which Opening Night sold out, you might want to book early for these special engagements.
  • In terms of choosing what to see among the 447 non-secret films (197 features, 67 documentary features), the festival’s official programs and have once again grouped movies into “moods” by the programmers. There are various imperatives: “thrill me,” “provoke me,” “show me the world,” “make me laugh,” “open my eyes,” “face the music”; elliptical “Love…”; inclusive “Sci-fi and fact” (though heavily fact over fiction this year); and “Creative Streak” (which could be any of the above).
  • Technology is your friend! SIFF is never as tech-integrated as one would like — R.I.P. iSIFF app — but you can still make use of the SIFFter, My SIFF, and the ability to email your personal festival schedule to friends. Getting it onto social media or your own Google calendar, however, remains a pipe dream.
  • While your schedule and your online presence might not be b.f.f.s, SIFF itself is riding indiscriminately on various social media bandwagons. Keep up with festival news on Facebook & Twitter; views on YouTube and Instagram. Turn your schedule into a manic pixie dreambook with Pinterest. If you’re stumped for what to watch, visit the festival’s “SIFFcurious” tumblr for film recommendations from semi-famous locals.
  • Free printed guides should be turning up at your neighborhood Starbucks; if you can’t find it in paper, there’s an online version available. Buried in the flashy new website is an old-fashioned online calendar.
  • Once the festival starts, you can get a commemorative catalog. The glossy pictures and longer descriptions make almost every film look more compelling, and the giant book makes a nice souvenir/scorecard.

BUYING

  • Consider buying in bulk. Ticket packages cut down on service fees and are cheaper than individual tickets.
  • Flying by the seat of your pants and getting into a film via the standby line is a complete crapshoot — don’t count on it for a popular film. But if a miracle does occur, those tickets are full price and “cash preferred.”
  • However, it doesn’t hurt to try your luck with whatever happens to be playing on whatever night you happen to be free. Not every screening has an interminable line, sometimes those scary-looking line is just hard-core SIFFers with time on their hands and/or an ingrained sense of promptness, and many times you may walk right in to a half-empty theater. It’s the chance to experience seeing something you enjoy on some level, if only just a window to a different world/experience than what you’re used to. GIVE IN to the festival.
  • Head to a SIFF box office to get your tickets in advance and avoid an extra line at the venue for will call. If you must pick up tickets at will call, try to drop in between screenings and have them print all of your pre-ordered tickets at once.

ATTENDING

  • If you’re particular about where you sit, there’s no such thing as arriving too early. Expect every screening to have a long line and a full house. Still, as long as you have a ticket, you’ll have a seat. If you’re a passholder, you can usually show up about 20-30 minutes in advance of the screening and still get a good seat. Ticketholders, try 30 min. All bets are off in the case of movies with big buzz. In that case, take whatever seat you can get, but just sit down already. There’s not going to be some magical super-seat in the theater if you scour the entire venue.
  • Be prepared with umbrella and light jacket. Bringing some snacks is acceptable, but don’t be That Guy who sneaks in a four-course meal.
  • Find your path of least resistance. For example, at the Egyptian, nearly everyone enters the theater and goes to the left. So break away from the herd and go to the right.
  • Bathrooms! (Ladies, I’m mostly speaking to you, unless you’re a dude at a dude-heavy midnight screening.) It’s a good rule of thumb that the further away the bathroom is, the shorter the line. So the third floor bathrooms at the Harvard Exit are much more likely to be free compared to those on the second floor. Another way to avoid the line is to either head straight to the restroom as soon as you get into the theater, or wait until the lights go down and the SIFF ads start. You’ve still got about 7 minutes of ads, trailers, and announcements before the film begins.
  • Consider subtitles. If your film has them and you’re not fluent, find a seat with a clear view of the bottom of the screen. Aisle left or right is generally a good bet. The seats on the center aisle (exit row) at the Egyptian have tons of room to stretch your legs, but the raking of the theater flattens out for the aisle, so you’re likely to have an obstructed view of the subtitles if anyone of average height or above average skull circumference sits in front of you.
  • If you’re a passholder, the queue cards are back to give you a place in the passholder line. SIFF staff start handing them out about 30 minutes before showtime to figure out (and limit) how many passholders they’re letting in to the venues. Passholders who show up after the supply of queue cards have been exhausted will join the huddled masses in the standby line.

EXTRACURRICULAR

  • If you’re on foot, trying to see multiple films in a row, and want a little brisk exercise between screenings, the sweet spot is the Egyptian. It’s a walkable distance from the Harvard Exit, as well as Pacific Place. The Egyptian is also right next to a Walgreen’s, if you need water, snacks, or eye drops after 12 hours of movie viewing.
  • Alternately, with SIFF’s resurrection of the Uptown theater and opening of their Film Center on the Seattle Center grounds, Lower Queen Anne is basically a film buffet. Festgoers who usually stick around the Downtown/Capitol Hill area theaters (Pacific Place, the Egyptian, the Harvard Exit) will want to plan some extra travel time accordingly: the roster of SIFF entries playing the Uptown is just too diverse and strong to ignore. However, heading to Queen Anne leaves you reliant on Seattle’s not always timely bus service. Might we suggest the monorail? OR GONDOLAS?
  • Get your latte before you head to the Egyptian. The espresso stand is gone, though they do serve drip coffee!
  • Speaking of theater eats and drinks, Bloombergites will be happy to know that most of the theaters have semi-secret human scale snack options on the menu (though the only way to get an actually small soda is often when paired with an actually small popcorn). At Pacific Place, it’s the “light snacker,” it exists at the Landmark chain under a name unknown, and at SIFF, it’s blissfully and accurately called a small.
  • In contrast to last year’s hyperkinetic intro video, the World Famous and WDCW crew have lovingly crafted a more meditative tribute to film magic to ease you into the 2013 festival. Expect to have this stop-motion montage seared into your brain after a few screenings. If you can’t identify every referenced film (surprisingly, all played at SIFF at some point) the first time through, you’d better be able to name them all by the end of the festival: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFLQ8oCNu0s
  • Because you don’t have tickets to opening night:
Arts & Entertainment, Film & TV

Film Reviews: Leviathan, Night Across the Street, and The Angels’ Share

Northwest Film Forum‘s showing of the documentary Leviathan is nearing the end (May 2) of its extended run, at which point you’ll have to find another source for lengthy closeups of fish viscera swirling about in a fishing boat’s bowels. It’s fair to call the film a documentary, but it’s unlike most of the recent agitprop crop in its quest for an immersive experience, rather than one mediated by argumentative discourse. As NPR explains, the film’s creators, Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel, are both from Harvard University’s Sensory Ethnography Lab, which “encourages art that explores the sensory experience of being inside a particular culture.”

If you’ve been to sea (Seattle movie-goers may be more likely to answer in the affirmative), it may not be quite as disorienting as it is for the landlocked. Familiarity with boat- and sea-sounds will let you identify the ship’s engine, the whine and groan of its winches, and the wind slapping through cables, even though a good portion of the goings-on take place at night, darkness all around outside a cone of light. Speech is mostly absent (except for the scene where an exhausted captain dozes to an episode of Deadliest Catch), and there’s no voiceover at all.

Then there’s what you choose to make of what you see, which is sometimes otherworldly and beautiful, sometimes this-worldly and stomach-churning. The filming was largely done with a series of small cameras mounted to people’s chests or attached to places people couldn’t go (trailing through the water after the boat like a net). In one long, mesmerizing sequence, the sea is rightside-up, and scores of upside-down gulls course after the boat each time the camera surfaces in a wave trough. You also see tons of net-crushed fish, eyes popped out, squirt from the net into a hold, where later they’ll be gutted, the camera picked up the way the deck swims in blood.

At times the camera joins the lifeless or near lifeless carcasses as they float about, the ship making its wallowing way, or watches the bloody water spill out the ship’s sides, with gulls in pursuit. With no clear purpose — you begin the film aboard the ship and end it there, 87 minutes later — much rests upon your capacity to patiently witness without demanding further justification.

Night Across the Street, also at the Film Forum, also ends its run on May 2. For those who know Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz from his magisterial costume-drama Mysteries of Lisbon, some preoccupations (lost love, suicide) may seem familiar, but Night‘s structure is much more poetic and associational than it is narratively causal. Ruiz spares no effort in ensuring that his film teaches you how to watch it: There are imaginary (well, it’s all imaginary, a phenomenology of mind) dialogues with French novelist Jean Giono that set up the film as a game of marbles, watching discrete events whether fantasized or “real” clack against each other.

So it is that the film contains a young boy who also appears to be the old man on the verge of retirement (both have conversations with Long John Silver, but I think only the boy talks with Beethoven, who becomes outraged when he’s taken to a movie theater and hears his music* in a Western, à la the William Tell Overture and The Lone Ranger). The boy has gotten a bad grade in math that he’s trying to weasel out of, but he’s frequently derailed and detoured in that dreamlike way that is called Fellini-esque. The retiree, in contrast, lives in a boarding house that is a nest of conspiracy, and is sure that someone means to kill him.

The confabulation can be so intense that you lose your bearings. Who’s an orphan? Is that pile of bodies a reference to something? Are those the boy’s real parents? To connect scenes, Ruiz may make them rhyme (a scene ends with a character mentioning one topic, and another opens with a character riffing on the same thing), or create repetitions (horizon, wind, boat). Mirrors abound (as do doorways that seem to be mirrors), as do mentions of Mallarmé, the symbolist poet. Drama loses intensity in the realm of symbol — a death can merely mean that someone left, or was transformed.

*I think it may have been a piece by Beethoven. The scene went by before I was sure what was happening.

Ken Loach’s The Angels’ Share opens May 3 at SIFF Cinema Uptown. It stars a gang of teen or twenty-something Glaswegians who, though not incorrigible, have had their brushes with the law. Paul Laverty was Loach’s writing partner so it’s not clear who shoulders the responsibility for the paint-by-social-consciousness-numbers way that the film gets to its feet. You meet ringleader Robbie (a wiry, scarred, track-suited Paul Brannigan) as his girlfriend is about to give birth to their child, and the event provides the conventional catalyst for his reform, though Loach — while making it clear that Robbie’s environment played its part — doesn’t shirk from showing the drug-fueled viciousness that Robbie is trying to escape with his social striving.

Initially, the characters’ dialogue doesn’t leave much room for subtext — if having a baby has changed things, by god, someone will state for the record that, yes, having a baby has changed things. But just as you’re settling back for a gritty-but-trite story of personal redemption told with a Scottish burr, Loach switches it up on you, and the film becomes a low-fi heist movie, with some Scotch tastings thrown in. It’s remarkably casual, a little like mumblecore in its artless observation of people’s interactions, except that yes, they do seem to be plotting a theft, and the movie (which you thought was prodding for the straight and narrow) digs into its popcorn and applauds their ingenuity.

Arts & Entertainment, Film & TV

“Upstream Color” Ups the Dose but Not Much Else

Upstream Color opens Friday, April 12, at SIFF Cinema Uptown.

I went into Upstream Color expecting something metaphysical: that is, based on the swirling words around the title, some exploration of the unseen; more specifically, some kind of constant, over-arching organism connecting us, connecting it, all.

What I got, over the first thirty minutes, anyway: A woman abducted, electrically shocked into unconsciousness, drugged through being forcefed a worm, woken into a worm-induced state of acquiescence, forced through said state to sign over money she doesn’t really have, and then dumped,a discarded cheeseburger wrapper from a buffet of bizarre crime.

Shane Carruth, director, writer, star, and everything-else-big on this shoot, shows a simultaneously lively and panoramic view of everything. Injecting the divine, the overarching, into the quotidian, remains important work attempted by all too few. Problem for Carruth, though: Terrence Malick showed up with To The Wonder (see its own SunBreak review here), gobbling up the whole game plan.

So Upstream gives you a fair amount about pigs, and synthesizers, and obsessively recording outdoorsy sometimes-ambient noises; and the pitfalls of modern dating—hell, the pitfalls of modern living, especially when you’ve got a past you can’t escape and you have to choose how much of it to hide, and until when. And more pigs. And the suggestion, at least, that it’s all interwined.

What’s missing here, what Malick caught instead: An underlying reason for something. Anything. Motivations here seem either opaque or stunningly obvious. When you open your metaphysics with a person deliberately, systematically, doing harm to another human being who’s done nothing to warrant any of it (nothing revealed at least—same thing), you dig yourself a deep hole. Hell, even psychedelic rangers who dose people—which I do not condone, which I find grossly neglectful and irresponsible—have their reasons. They want to throw people through the French windows of reality.

That’s bad, but it slimly beats out a nothing, however gloriously pulsing.